News

Will the $4.7 Billion Talc Verdict Hold Up On Appeal?

Max Mitchell | July 13, 2018

The nearly $4.7 billion verdict that a St. Louis jury handed down Thursday against Johnson & Johnson over its talcum powder was by far the largest verdict seen out of a litigation that has already produced several eye-catching wins for plaintiffs.

News

Trump's Latest Judge Nominees Heavy on Big Law, Include Perkins Coie Partner for Ninth Circuit

Ross Todd | July 13, 2018

As part of his latest wave of judicial nominations, President Donald Trump has tapped Eric Miller, the Seattle-based chair of the appellate practice at Perkins Coie, for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

News

Lawyers Love Beto O'Rourke, Not So Much Ted Cruz Anymore

Miriam Rozen | July 13, 2018

A name partner at a law firm that has backed a Democratic challenger to the former Republican presidential candidate called his firm’s employees’ contributions “an example of purely coincidental shared sympathies.”

News

Kavanaugh at Kirkland; Troutman Hires; MoFo Moves

Ryan Lovelace | July 13, 2018

In this week's Washington Wrap: the Big Law minority on the Supreme Court, plus our roundup of DC law firm moves.

St. Louis Jury Issues $4.7 Billion Verdict After Trial Linking Talc to 22 Cancer Cases

Max Mitchell | July 13, 2018

The 12-member jury awarded $550 million in compensatory damages, as well as $4.14 billion in punitive damages against the pharmaceutical giant.

Analysis

Hogan Lovells’ New Asia Pacific and Middle East Head Has Big Plans in an Interconnected World

John Kang | July 12, 2018

Miguel Zaldivar is the first American partner to oversee the region for the firm. He wants to improve the interconnection between the firm's practices in the Asia Pacific/Middle East and its practices in the U.S. and Europe.

News

Diversity Lab Kicks Off New Legal 'Hackathon' Round in Chicago

Meghan Tribe | July 12, 2018

Less than a month after law firm and in-house participants delivered a first batch of diversity-themed “hacks” for the legal industry, a new crop of ideas is already beginning to take shape.

News

Brett on the Bench: Lawyers Describe What It’s Like Arguing Before Kavanaugh

Ellis Kim | July 12, 2018

What should a lawyer approaching the U.S. Supreme Court’s lectern expect from an “Associate Justice” Kavanaugh during oral argument, if he’s confirmed?

Brett Kavanaugh 'Looks for Ways to Rule for Employers'

Erin Mulvaney | July 12, 2018

Advocates for business interests would find comfort in a would-be justice who could move the court from reliably pro-business to more resoundingly so. Worker advocates, meanwhile, are sounding alarms as Kavanaugh's nomination, to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy, advances in the U.S. Senate.

News

Cleary's Lewis Liman, SDNY Nominee, Reports $37.7M Net Worth, $2.8M Partner Income

Christine Simmons | July 12, 2018

Liman’s partnership income and total assets dwarf those of some other law firm partners nominated by Trump for the federal bench in recent months.

News

Federal Court Nominees From Buchanan, Dilworth Disclose Firm Pay

Lizzy McLellan | July 11, 2018

New mandatory filings include financial disclosures for law firm partners David Porter, up for a Third Circuit seat, and Joshua Wolson, nominated for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania bench.

News

AIA Patent Invalidations Aren't a 'Taking,' DOJ Insists

Scott Graham | July 11, 2018

Issued patents are only presumed valid, so owners are on notice of potential invalidity proceedings, the government contends before the Court of Federal Claims.

Eric Komitee, Trump Pick for NY Court, Made Millions as Hedge Fund GC

C. Ryan Barber | July 11, 2018

Komitee joined the New York-based hedge fund in 2008 following an eight-year stint in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. He identified his net worth at nearly $60 million, according to newly disclosed financial records.

News

DOJ Antitrust Vet Joins Morrison & Foerster in DC

Ryan Lovelace | July 11, 2018

Lisa Phelan prosecuted hundreds of cases over more than two decades at the Justice Department.

News

Kavanaugh Might Have Recusal Problems If These Cases Reach SCOTUS

Marcia Coyle | July 11, 2018

D.C. Circuit cases involving abortion, religious discrimination, the environment and military justice could present a recusal problem for the would-be justice.

News

Speculation Ends as Kirkland Officially Launches Dallas Office

Roy Strom | July 11, 2018

Kirkland & Ellis is expanding its operations in Texas after hiring a half-dozen lawyers from three rival Am Law 100 firms in Dallas. Kirkland also raided Latham & Watkins in Houston for the co-chair of its oil and gas team.

Commentary

Star Litigators Notch First Win in Suit Against Charlottesville Neo-Nazis

Jenna Greene| July 11, 2018

Suing white supremacists is not for the faint of heart—but Roberta Kaplan and Karen Dunn are not backing down.

News

Yale Students Call on School to Oppose Alumnus Kavanaugh's SCOTUS Nomination

Karen Sloan | July 11, 2018

Yale students and alumni called Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh a threat to democracy in a letter to the school's leadership, which requested that it take a public position against the Yale alum.

Akhil Amar, Liberal Prof at Yale Law, Would Testify for Kavanaugh If Asked

Tony Mauro | July 11, 2018

“I have followed his career with care,” Yale Law's Akhil Amar said, adding that “it’s my job” to share the information and expertise he has about Kavanaugh, a onetime student of his at Yale. “Let my fellow citizens decide.”

Kavanaugh Confirmation Team Takes Shape, Boosted by Former Clerks

Ryan Lovelace | July 11, 2018

Some of Brett Kavanaugh's former clerks are returning to government or taking new roles within the Trump administration to help smooth the confirmation process.

News

Kavanaugh Has Long Questioned Agency Power. Just Look at His First Opinion.

C. Ryan Barber | July 10, 2018

Brett Kavanaugh, on a panel with fellow judges Thomas Griffith and Douglas Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, was “kind of an unknown” going into the argument.

News

Kavanaugh Doesn't 'Search for an Easy Answer,' Former Clerks Tell Senate

Tony Mauro | July 10, 2018

“We never once saw him take a shortcut, treat a case as unimportant, or search for an easy answer," the letter from 34 former Brett Kavanaugh clerks said.

News

Kavanaugh on Health Care: How Might He Rule as a Supreme Court Justice?

Kristen Rasmussen | July 10, 2018

Corporate Counsel took a look at how U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has weighed in on a number of health care-related matters, from the ACA to abortion rights to health care mergers.

News

Broward Lawyers Win Dismissal for Former Trump Adviser Roger Stone Over DNC Emails

Raychel Lean | July 10, 2018

U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle grant attorneys Robert C. Buschel's and Grant J. Smith's motion to dismiss a Russia collusion case against Roger Stone for lack of jurisdiction.

No Sentencing Date (Yet) for Michael Flynn, Charged in Mueller Case

Ellis Kim | July 10, 2018

Michael Flynn and his lawyer, Robert Kelner, a Covington & Burling election-law partner in Washington, appeared before U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday.

News

The Scene Inside the East Room for Trump's Big Kavanaugh Reveal

Ellis Kim | July 10, 2018

Big Law partners. Current and former U.S. Justice Department lawyers. Judges and ex-law clerks. Washington's legal elite gathered Monday night in the East Room for President Trump's unveiling of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's what it was like inside the White House.

Sen. Feinstein Hires Morrison & Foerster Partner to Vet Court Nominations

Cheryl Miller | July 10, 2018

Marc Hearron, a partner in Morrison & Foerster's appellate and Supreme Court practice in Washington, joined Feinstein's office Monday as chief counsel for nominations.

News

TRANSCRIPT: Brett Kavanaugh's Full Remarks at SCOTUS Nomination

ALM Staff| July 09, 2018

"As a judge, I hire four law clerks each year. I look for the best. My law clerks come from diverse backgrounds and points of view. I am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women," Brett Kavanaugh said at his nomination ceremony Monday at the White House. Read the full transcript here.

Big Law, Academia & Advocates: Early Lines on Kavanaugh

ALM Staff| July 09, 2018

The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh triggered a flood of responses from top appellate lawyers in Big Law, law school professors and advocates on the right and left. We've compiled some notable remarks below.

An NFL Game, Harvard Lectures and Youth Basketball: Inside Brett Kavanaugh's Financial Disclosures

C. Ryan Barber | July 09, 2018

According to the most recent disclosures, Kavanaugh has not held the types of investments that have forced justices to recuse from cases or sell off stock to avoid financial conflicts.

SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh In His Own Words: 'Tune Out the Crowd Noise'

Tony Mauro | Mike Scarcella | July 09, 2018

“If it’s a tight case, a controversial case, and you’re wondering where he will come out, often times it’s good to put your chips on the individual, rather than the government," Brett Kavanaugh once said about Justice Anthony Kennedy, for whom he clerked.

Seven Brett Kavanaugh Opinions That Will Find Renewed Attention

Tony Mauro | July 09, 2018

Firearms. The environment. Executive power. Judge Brett Kavanaugh's D.C. Circuit rulings will come into sharp focus now, as his Supreme Court nomination advances.

Trump Picks Brett Kavanaugh, Conservative Stalwart on DC Circuit, for Supreme Court

Tony Mauro | July 09, 2018

In picking the 53-year-old Brett Kavanaugh of the D.C. Circuit, Trump opted for a hard-to-defeat nominee whose Ivy League credentials are similar to those of Neil Gorsuch, the president's first Supreme Court nominee. Kavanaugh is a Washington-area native who has ruled to dial back federal agencies and broaden gun rights.

San Francisco Jurors Hear Hours of Scientific Data About Herbicide's Link to Cancer

Amanda Bronstad | July 09, 2018

Lawyers bombarded a San Francisco jury on Monday with reams of scientific studies about whether a Monsanto Co. weed killer caused a man to get terminal cancer.

DOJ's Scott Schools Heads to Uber as Chief Compliance Officer

Caroline Spiezio | July 09, 2018

The former DOJ lawyer looks to be part of Uber's grand plan to clean up its act and its tarnished public image.

Troutman Sanders Adds Partner Quintet From Crowell & Moring

Ryan Lovelace | July 09, 2018

The group includes the former co-chairs of Crowell's insurance/reinsurance group and office leaders in London and Orange County, California.

Commentary

For Solicitor General Noel Francisco, It Was a Banner SCOTUS Term

Ken Starr| July 09, 2018

The SG’s perfect record in switch-in-position cases demonstrates the triumph of ideas and principles that capture the essence of any administration.

News

Breyer Sidesteps Questions About Supreme Court’s Future, Recent Past

Tony Mauro | July 09, 2018

Just days before the appointment of a U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Justice Stephen Breyer urged the public to recall the numerous other turbulent times the high court and the federal government have faced.

Georgetown Law Hopes to End Supreme Court Drought With Possible Hardiman Nomination

Karen Sloan | July 09, 2018

Both Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Notre Dame Law School could see their first alumni elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court with Trump's upcoming nomination. The University of Michigan Law School and Yale Law School are also in the mix.

News

Covington's Jon Kyl to Serve as SCOTUS Nominee's 'Lead Sherpa'

Ryan Lovelace | July 09, 2018

The White House confirmed Monday that former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl has agreed to help shepherd President Trump's Supreme Court nominee though the Senate confirmation process.

Chipotle, Texas and Nevada Defend Sanctions Against Plaintiffs Firms in Labor Suit

Mike Scarcella | July 09, 2018

The three plaintiffs firms, Nevada and Texas said in their Fifth Circuit brief, "should have to take the bitter with the sweet—if they want to piggyback on a rule issued by a federal agency, then they should not be allowed to complain that an injunction against that agency involving that rule affects them also."

News

Judge Vacates $140M Verdict in Case Over Low-T Treatment Because of Inconsistent Findings

Amanda Bronstad | July 06, 2018

  A federal judge has vacated a $140 million verdict over “low testosterone” treatments after finding that the jury’s findings were inconsistent. The…

News

CFPB's Top Deputy Plans to Drop Bid to Oust Trump-Appointed Leader

C. Ryan Barber | July 06, 2018

“Now that President Trump has decided to seek Senate confirmation of a new director for the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Ms. English is stepping down and we intend to file court papers on Monday to bring the litigation to a close."

News

Justices' Elite Experiences Make Roberts Court 'Relative Outlier,' Law Prof Says

Marcia Coyle | July 06, 2018

"The Roberts court justices have spent more pre-appointment time in legal academia, appellate judging, and living in Washington, D.C., than any previous Supreme Court," according to the study, written by Benjamin Barton of the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Law.

News

How Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee Could Change Big Law Business

Ryan Lovelace | July 06, 2018

As everyone waits for the president to name his nominee, read all about the latest comings and goings in the D.C. legal community.

News

Can of Worms and Threat to Shoot: Strange Conn. Supreme Court Case Weighs 'Fighting Words,' Free Speech

Robert Storace | July 06, 2018

Laurence Parnoff was convicted of disorderly conduct related to an incident on his property where he threatened two water company employees. Connecticut's high court has ruled his threat to go into his house and retrieve a gun if the utilities company workers didn't leave are not "fighting words."

News

Pepper Hamilton Files Action Seeking FBI Records of US Troops' WWII-Era Heist of Crown Jewels

Tom McParland | July 06, 2018

Attorneys from Pepper Hamilton are aiding a Delaware author in his bid to force the FBI to release records of the agency’s investigation into the theft of crown jewels belonging to the House of Hesse, a German royal family, by U.S. soldiers at the end of World War II.

June Brings Uptick in Legal Employment

Scott Flaherty | July 06, 2018

The country's legal services industry added thousands of jobs in June, pushing the figure for legal jobs slightly above the range that has prevailed since December 2016, according to Labor Department data.

News

Raymond Kethledge Has a Few Thoughts on Agency Deference

Ellis Kim | July 06, 2018

The elevation of Raymond Kethledge—and his views on Chevron deference—could come at a time when conservative criticism of the decades-old doctrine on court deference to agencies has reached a new pitch.

Commentary

How Democrats Could Preserve Settled Law Like 'Roe,' Even With a New Conservative Justice

Leon Friedman| July 05, 2018

Even if a solidly conservative Justice is confirmed to the High Court, Democrats aren't powerless against the rollbacks of progressive policies.

News

What's in Geoffrey Berman's US Attorney Financial Disclosure? Now We Know.

Mike Scarcella | C. Ryan Barber | July 05, 2018

Geoffrey Berman's disclosure provides a peek into the compensation scheme at one of the country's largest law firms and a broad picture of the client relationships the former white-collar defender left behind when he took over one of the most visible U.S. attorney offices in the country.

News

Appellate, Antitrust Partners Take the Reins for Gibson Dunn in DC

Ryan Lovelace | July 05, 2018

Thomas Dupree Jr. and Cynthia Richman replace Daniel Nelson and Andrew Tulumello as co-leaders of the firm's Washington office.

News

Meet Andrew Wheeler: The Ex-Washington Lobbyist Now at EPA's Helm

C. Ryan Barber | July 05, 2018

Andy Wheeler was a nonequity principal at Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting and formerly co-leader of the firm’s energy and natural resources practice. Here are some highlights from public records and statements about Wheeler.

Hunter, Author & Introvert: Meet Raymond Kethledge, SCOTUS Short Lister

Marcia Coyle | Tony Mauro | July 05, 2018

Raymond Kethledge is an outdoorsman, a hunter and fisherman—and he writes his own opinions. Five things to know about the Sixth Circuit judge who's reportedly a leading contender to succeed Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court.

News

Sacramento Judge Checks DOJ's Bid to Enjoin California's Immigration Laws

Cheryl Miller | July 05, 2018

"If there is going to be a long-term solution to the problems our country faces with respect to immigration policy, it can only come from our legislative and executive branches," U.S. District Judge John Mendez in Sacramento wrote Thursday.

News

'In a Stretched Out Pair of Yoga Pants' and 'Utterly Defeated': Studying for the Bar

Karen Sloan | July 05, 2018

Twitter is awash in recent law graduates sharing their bar prep woes and triumphs, with the exam just a few weeks away.

News

Credit Suisse Anti-Corruption Policies Weren't 'Meaningfully Enforced': SEC

C. Ryan Barber | July 05, 2018

Credit Suisse had policies preventing corrupt hiring, but "those policies were not meaningfully enforced," the SEC said. The bank, represented by Cahill Gordon & Reindel, paid nearly $30 million in disgorgement and interest to resolve the SEC's charges. Separately, Credit Suisse agreed to pay a $47 million penalty to resolve U.S. Justice Department claims.

Expert Opinion

Associates, Don’t Let Salary Hikes Become Your Faustian Bargain

Jay Harrington| July 05, 2018

Make no mistake, young lawyers. These raises are very much part of a calculated plan.

This 'Serial Entrepreneur' Thinks Finding a Lawyer Can Be as Easy as Hailing an Uber

Ian Lopez | July 05, 2018

For $20, Kevin Gillespie’s Text A Lawyer service lets consumers send a legal question to a pool of lawyers to pick up for a response.

News

Michael Cohen Prosecutor Leaves SDNY Office for Davis Polk

Christine Simmons | July 03, 2018

Tatiana Martins served as chief of the public corruption unit for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

News

Conservative Lawyer Bopp Urges Trump to Pass on Kavanaugh for SCOTUS

Ryan Lovelace | July 03, 2018

As conservatives remain split over a potential nominee, James Bopp Jr. sent a letter to the president and vice president opposing Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

News

Missouri Appeals Court Reverses $55M Talc Verdict

Amanda Bronstad | July 03, 2018

The Missouri Court of Appeals decision on June 29 is the third ruling to reverse a jury award against Johnson & Johnson over its baby powder, which thousands of lawsuits have alleged caused women to get ovarian cancer.

News

Want to Help Shepherd Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee? Here’s Your Chance.

Ellis Kim | July 03, 2018

The Senate Judiciary Committee is seeking a special counsel to help confirm the Trump administration's Supreme Court pick. The DOJ's point person on judicial nominees, Beth Williams, formerly a Kirkland & Ellis partner, helped guide the John Roberts and Samuel Alito confirmations as special counsel.

News

Brett Kavanaugh on Good Judging: 'Don't Be a Jerk'

C. Ryan Barber | Ellis Kim | July 03, 2018

Brett Kavanaugh's spoken regularly to law students and at various law-themed events over the years, telling audiences about his experience working in the George W. Bush White House and about his time on the D.C. Circuit. Here are some video clips.

Mulvaney's CFPB News Releases Embrace Industry's Yearning for Soft Touch

C. Ryan Barber | July 03, 2018

“Without question, the press release can be the single most upsetting thing to a company or individuals when they settle these matters,” said Venable partner Allyson Baker.

News

Harvard, Yale, Kansas? Supreme Court May Get Justice From Non-Elite Law School

Karen Sloan | July 03, 2018

The Supreme Court is currently dominated by graduates of Harvard and Yale Law Schools, but that could change with President Trump's next nomination.

News

California Justices Won't Force Yelp to Remove Unflattering Law Firm Review

Cheryl Miller | July 02, 2018

"With this decision, online publishers in California can be assured that they cannot be lawfully forced to remove third-party speech through enterprising abuses of the legal system, and those of us that use such platforms to express ourselves cannot be easily silenced through such tactics either," Yelp deputy general counsel Aaron Schur said in a blog post.

News

Maxell Wins $43M in Smartphone Patent Dispute With ZTE

Scott Graham | July 02, 2018

A Texarkana jury gave Maxell all the damages it asked for, plus a finding of willfulness.

News

Kavanaugh Allies Muster 'Army' of Lawyers to Back Potential SCOTUS Pick

Ryan Lovelace | July 02, 2018

A swath of Washington's legal establishment is ready to jump into action if Brett Kavanaugh gets the nod this month.

News

US Chamber's Top Appellate Lawyer Joins Plaintiff-Side Litigation Boutique

Mike Scarcella | Ryan Lovelace | July 02, 2018

Warren Postman, a former Jones Day associate and Justice David Souter law clerk, had held litigation roles at the U.S. Chamber since 2014. His partnership at Keller Lenkner puts him on the plaintiffs side advocating for class actions, not fighting them.

News

3 Predictions After the Supreme Court's Blow to Public-Sector Unions

Erin Mulvaney | July 02, 2018

Here are early takeaways and predictions from employment attorneys on the impact of the court’s ruling in Janus v. AFSCME.

News

John Roberts Sees Himself as 'Honest Broker' Among the Justices

Tony Mauro | July 02, 2018

“I feel some obligation to be something of an honest broker among my colleagues and won't necessarily go out of my way to pick fights,” Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. said at the biennial conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He also said that at times, “You would sort of sublimate your views.”

July 2018 Issue

National Law Journal| July 01, 2018

July 2018

Countdown to the Nomination: Who Will Fill Kennedy's Seat?

ALM Staff| June 29, 2018

Take a look at who's in contention and other Kennedy news from the NLJ.

The Best of the NLJ: A Look Back at June

ALM Staff| June 29, 2018

We spotlight Justice Kennedy's retirement, the NLJ 500 and a variety of other big stories.

News

Ex-Clerk to Kavanaugh: Potential Pick 'Would Not Go Wobbly' on Conservatives

Ryan Lovelace | June 29, 2018

In this week’s Washington Wrap: Stakeholders line up in the SCOTUS sweepstakes, and the latest lawyer moves in D.C.

News

Bush v. Gore, Abortion Rights & More: 5 Things to Know About Amy Barrett

Marcia Coyle | Tony Mauro | June 29, 2018

Five confirmation and career moments that could reappear at any Supreme Court confirmation hearing if President Trump nominates Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Barrett to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy.

News

Feds Can Use Suspect's Biometrics to Unlock Digital Devices, DC Judge Says

C. Ryan Barber | June 29, 2018

"Like other courts addressing similar issues, this court is mindful of the important privacy interests at stake when government accesses information on a digital device," G. Michael Harvey, a federal magistrate in Washington, said in a newly unsealed ruling.

News

Trump's CFPB Bashing Brings Halt to Big Law Workflow

Miriam Rozen | June 29, 2018

What was once a revenue driver for several large firms has now slowed to a trickle, although some have managed to adjust in a new regulatory environment.

News

Marketing Analyst Who Gave Trump the Finger Loses Suit Over Her Firing

Erin Mulvaney | June 29, 2018

The photo of Juli Briskman giving the president the bird rocketed around the web and late-night TV. Attorneys for Akima LLC and Briskman argued Friday in Virginia court over whether the company's termination violated the public policy exception of Virginia's at-will employment scheme.

Podcast

The NLJ 500 Deconstructed: Exploring the 2018 Law Firm Rankings

Vanessa Blum | Leigh Jones | June 29, 2018

The National Law Journal Editor-in-Chief Lisa Helem dives into the details of the annual ranking of the country's 500 largest law firms by headcount.

Editor's Note: Announcing the 2018 NLJ 500

Mark Bauer | June 29, 2018

This month, we release our annual headcount survey of the biggest law firms across the country.

Reading the Tea Leaves in 'Masterpiece Cakeshop'

Marcia Coyle | June 29, 2018

In a term fraught with consequential cases, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission brought the culture wars back to the justices' doorstep.

News

Latham Elects London Partner as Firm Chair

Roy Strom | June 29, 2018

Richard Trobman will take the reins of the second-largest, U.S.-based law firm following an unanticipated vacancy for the top spot at Latham & Watkins.

Q&A

When Privacy Prevails: ACLU Lawyer Dishes on SCOTUS' Carpenter Decision

Ian Lopez | June 29, 2018

Nathan Wessler, who argued 'Carpenter' before the SCOTUS, said the decision made way for courts to address protections for "highly sensitive" data held by third-party companies.

News

Colorado Federal Jury Awards $380M in Damages Over Dialysis Treatment

Tom McParland | June 28, 2018

Jurors in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on Wednesday ordered DaVita to pay $125 million in punitive damages each to the estates of Irma Menchaca, Gary Gene Saldana and Deborah Hardin, which accused the company of negligence and fraudulent concealment in administering the name-brand GranuFlo dialysis solution at its clinics, despite warnings that it could cause serious injury or death.

News

SEC, Testing Power, Wants More Discretion to Set Whistleblower Awards

C. Ryan Barber | June 28, 2018

The SEC voted 3-2 to push the proposal out for public comment, with the two Democratic commissioners dissenting over concerns that the changes would undercut the whistleblower program and bring improper considerations into future award decisions.

News

CVS Agrees to Pay Feds $1.5M for Failing to Report Opioid Theft From Long Island Stores

Andrew Denney | June 28, 2018

CVS Pharmacy has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle claims that some of its stores in Nassau and Suffolk counties failed to swiftly report when opioids were lost or stolen.

News

LGBT Workplace Cases Arrive at SCOTUS as Kennedy Punches Out

Erin Mulvaney | June 28, 2018

“It’s not a right versus left, conservative versus liberal issue,” Seyfarth Shaw's Sam Schwartz-Fenwick said. “It will be about the specific question that is presented.”

News

Cloud-Based FisherBroyles Grows Its (Virtual) Footprint in DC

Ryan Lovelace | June 28, 2018

FisherBroyles has added a trio of new partners, including a principal from Baker McKenzie.

News

Kennedy's Retirement Leaves His Future Law Clerks in Limbo

Tony Mauro | June 28, 2018

Depending on when Kennedy's successor joins the bench, an orphaned clerk could possibly work for the new justice. Retired justices are entitled to have one law clerk, so one of the four could take that position for Kennedy.

News

As One of Kennedy's Few Female Clerks, Law Dean Recalls Her Job—and Her Son's—With the Justice

Karen Sloan | June 28, 2018

Wendy Collins Perdue clerked for Kennedy during his stint on the Ninth Circuit. Her son was Kennedy's clerk on the U.S. Supreme Court.

News

Disbarment for DC Attorney Who Once Claimed to Be LeBron's Dad

Scott Flaherty | June 28, 2018

Leicester Bryce Stovell had some time in the limelight while pursuing lawsuits that claimed he was NBA star LeBron James' father. Now, he's been disbarred.

News

What Brett Kavanaugh Says About Indicting a Sitting President

Ellis Kim | June 28, 2018

"A serious constitutional question exists regarding whether a president can be criminally indicted and tried while in office," D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh wrote in an article in 2009. What's one check against a "bad-behaving or law-breaking" president? Impeachment, Kavanaugh wrote.

News

Second Ex-Equifax Employee Faces Federal Insider-Trading Charges

R. Robin McDonald | June 28, 2018

Federal authorities contend that an Equifax software engineering manager, who has since been fired, learned of Equifax's massive 2017 data breach before it went public. Federal prosecutors in Atlanta contend he then bought Equifax put options—and sold them at a profit when news of the data breach went public and Equifax's stock price plummeted.

News

Conservative Women Lawyers Mobilize for Kennedy Replacement to Overturn 'Roe v. Wade'

Ryan Lovelace | June 28, 2018

With the fate of abortion rights bound to be central to the fight to replace Justice Kennedy, women on the right will be key messengers for the president's nominee.

News

US Supreme Court Turns Down Challenges to Death Penalty

Marcia Coyle | June 28, 2018

"I remain of the view that the court should grant the petitions now before us to consider whether the death penalty as currently administered violates the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment," Justice Breyer wrote on Thursday.

The NLJ 500: Career-Nurturing Firms Win High Rankings on Women-in-Law Scorecard

Miriam Rozen | June 28, 2018

“Women attract women. They know we want to pay it forward,” a managing partner of firm that moved up on the NLJ Women in Law Scorecard says.

The NLJ 500: Our 2018 Survey of the Nation's Largest Law Firms

ALM Staff| June 28, 2018

Welcome to The NLJ 500, our annual survey of law firm headcounts across the country.

Navigating Your Path From Public Service to a Firm

Raphael Prober| June 28, 2018

With the right preparation and diligence, you’ll be able to take your career in the direction you want.